A New Generation
by Kelleher
Summary: The Solo family welcomes a new member. 26 years post OT, AU. This is a fairly plot free character vignette only meant to cleanse the palate for those of us who didn't like the way H/L played out in TFA. I don't know if it will fit into the larger AU I want to develop based on "The Battle of Coruscant," my last FF. Some of the things hinted at in it will be part of that AU.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Leia woke with a start.

When the children were young and constantly under threat from Cadaro Pault's alliance with Tamin Nar, waking with a gasp had been an everyday occurrence. Before that, nightmares of Alderaan, Bespin, and Coruscant had kept her half on-guard even in her sleep. Now, finally, it was an unusual way for her to wake.

In the past few years, as she and Han saw their children grow strong in the Force, reach their majority, and strike out on their own to further training, studies, or careers, Leia slept a bit more peacefully in the knowledge that they were well-able to protect themselves (although, sometimes, she slept fitfully wondering exactly what trouble Bail and Jax were getting themselves into with girls). Only the youngest of their four, Jaina, remained at home full-time, and only for another year. Fortunately for her two very tired parents, Jaina was the spitting image of her dad, right down to the same unbelievable piloting skills and utter lack of Force sensitivity. The three older Solo children teased Jaina mercilessly about how they'd probably spend half their lives rescuing her; Jaina often made her parents smile by responding to her siblings that they should consider how many times their "normal" father had saved their Force-adept mother.

Leia did a quick inventory to sense the living presence of their brood. Jaina, Bail and Jax were all present and accounted for, since the boys were home for Risarva, the ancient Alderaanian celebration of the return of the light to the capital at the end of winter. The Alderaanian remnant people had kept that holiday alive, and though Leia was many years estranged from her people and now considered Corbis in the Corellian system to be her home, her husband had insisted that the family celebrate the holidays of her youth. Many years ago, when the children were young, he'd argued that she hadn't abandoned the Alderaanians; they had abandoned her, so she should celebrate on behalf of her parents and all the good people of Alderaan who perished, not the snaky politicos who survived by sitting out the war on Coruscant and still called themselves Alderaanians. So celebrate they did, and between the Corellian and Alderaanian holidays, Luke had commented more than once that it was always a celebration at the Solo home.

Only Caia couldn't join the family this year, as she and her husband, Dak Jarrid, were on Naboo awaiting the birth of their first child – Han and Leia's first grandchild. Leia had quickly sensed, as did all their Force-adept offspring, the child's sex, but Caia had asked them not to tell Han and Jaina, as she wanted it to be a surprise to at least someone in the family. Han and Jaina still had their noses a little bit out of joint about that. Leia couldn't really disagree with Han and Jaina about that, but her oldest had inherited the stubborn streaks of both parents combined. Luckily, Dak, whom Caia had met while training at the Academy, had almost preternatural powers of patience.

 _Caia…_ Leia focused harder on her. She felt her daughter's presence but...Leia gasped. That was why she had woken with a start. Labor. Her daughter was in labor. She felt all of Caia's attention directed on the small human being she was trying to bring into the galaxy. Leia sent out a calming thought nonetheless.

 _I love you_ … _Be strong. But not so strong that you don't lean on Dak. You will find you need each other now more than ever and love each other in a whole new way._

She rolled over to see Han still sleeping peacefully beside her. She didn't dare wake him – the second he found out that his firstborn was in labor, he'd want to jump in the Falcon and race to Naboo, and Leia would have to stop him. Caia had insisted that she and Dak be alone with their child for the first moments of his life. Leia suspected that this was because Caia didn't like Dak's mother very much and didn't dare to keep only one family away, but in any event, the Solos had strict orders to stay home until they were invited to come. As soon as he was awake and knew what was going on, Han would be like a wild teresias on the stalk until they got word.

So instead of waking him, Leia simply looked at her husband. He wore his fifty-eight years well. Although his hair was rapidly going gray and there were scars from too many battles, he was still lithe and strong, a handsome man by estimations less biased than her own. Leia was so used to the looks that she rarely noticed them anymore. What she never failed to notice, even now, was his deep commitment to and love for the family they'd created. He'd never expected a family, a wife, or a home, so when something beyond his wildest dreams actually happened to him, he protected it and adored it with every ounce of his being. She suspected that he'd remained a reserve general in the Republic armed forces even after injuries from their last battle with Pault and Nar caused him to leave the military because, despite his move into contract complex shipping with Chewie, he was still, even now, ready to jump back into battle if anything threatened his family's safety and security.

She laughed softly…who'd have thought that jackbantha she'd met on the Death Star so many years ago would become half of the foundation of a family. Who'd have thought that the snappish girl she was would become the other half of that foundation. Who'd have thought they they would both find the gentleness and patience with each other and with their children that they needed to make marriage and family work. Although she knew she was probably making a mistake by waking Han, she couldn't resist; she shimmied over to him and lightly kissed his chin.

With a satisfied sigh, Han's sleepy eyes flickered open.

"Happy Risarva, Princess," he murmured, pulling her close.

He was the only person in the galaxy who still called her Princess. She'd been Leia Skywalker Solo ever since her final departure from the Alderaanian remnant, when she willingly threw the title back at them and less willingly gave up her status as the sole living member in the House Organa, thus brining the noble family to an end. Ever since then, Han had been even more adamant about calling her "Princess" in public and writing her name, whenever he had to, as "Leia Organa Solo," just because he'd never forgive her people's treachery against her. In private, though, "Princess" wasn't a statement of rank, but a statement of value, and she never tired of hearing him say it.

"Happy Risarva, my scoundrel," she replied, resting her head against his chest and wondering how quickly he'd jump up and get dressed if she told him about Caia.

"You're beautiful in the morning," he whispered.

"Are you trying to get lucky?" Leia laughed.

"Always," he smiled sleepily. "But I'm also just statin' fact: you're beautiful in the morning."

She shook her head. That was probably another thing no one other than Han called her anymore: beautiful. Bearing four children – some of whom had to be brought into the galaxy in less than ideal circumstances – hadn't been easy on her small frame. She had her scars too, both from Essag's attack on Coruscant and from the showdown with Pault. But it didn't matter what anyone else thought. After twenty-six years of marriage, four children, and more struggle than anyone outside the Skywalker-Solo family could comprehend, her husband still thought she was beautiful, inside and out.

"Hey, uh, guys?" Bail barged right into the room without as much as a knock.

"It's called knocking, kid," Han replied. "Good thing we know when to lock you all out—"

"Great, Dad. Thanks for scarring me for life with that Appreciate it."

"Least I can do," Han yawned as he threw back the blankets to get up.

"Yeah, so, while I try to clear that image from my mind," Bail pushed back his messy brown hair that was as unruly as his father's, but currently much longer than Han's had ever been. "Mom, you know that Caia's in—"

Han jumped out of bed. "What? What's wrong?"

Jax and Jaina joined their brother at the door.

"You didn't tell the normals, Mom?" Jax asked, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Tell me what!" Han shouted. "Did the baby come?"

"You know, if I were in labor, I'm pretty sure Dad wouldn't be this unglued," Jax observed.

"Honey, if you were in labor, I promise you that everyone in this family would be _very_ unglued. _Very,_ " Leia replied as she got up and put on her robe.

"Is she alright?" Han turned to Leia, worry and pride all over his face.

"Alright?" Leia teased him gently. "Was I ever alright when I was in labor?"

"Maybe I should longtrans comm her. Or Dak."

Leia gave the kids the look and quick glance at the door that they knew from long experience meant "get out of here, I need to talk to your father," in the same way they knew that Han's quick, sharp point toward a doorway meant, "beat it, I need to talk to your mother." They didn't always comply, in case there was something interesting going on, but today, since there were gifts to be opened and a playoff smashball game on, they quickly made themselves scarce.

"We should go," Han said definitively.

"Han, you know what your daughter said. Give them ten seconds to be new parents before this horde comes barging in."

Han started to argue, but Leia silenced him with one finger to his lips. "Han. Let them be alone for one of the most breathtaking moments of their lives, okay? Just like we were."

Han nodded. He still wasn't happy about it, but he'd respect his daughter's wishes. Maybe not his son-in-law's wishes. He still wasn't entirely convinced that Dak Jarrid – even though he too was Force-adept and worked as a facilitator for the Republic justice tribunal – deserved his daughter. He wasn't quite sure anyone deserved his daughters.

Leia watched her husband's brow furrow as she took off her nightclothes to dress for the day. "That's not your usual expression when you watch me take my clothes off, General."

He shook himself out of his reverie and grinned. "No, I guess not." He sat down on the bed. "I'm not sure whether I feel old or ecstatic or just…that baby Jep put in my arms is having a child of her own. That baby I fell in love with the first time I held her, even though I was goin' crazy with worry for you…"

Leia shivered. Of all the struggles that they'd gone through raising their children in this crazy galaxy, the two months after the birth of Caia, when Leia had been held prisoner on the Force-blind planet of Shrisun, not knowing whether Jep had managed to safely deliver her daughter to Han, were some of the toughest. In the end, knowing about that Force-blind planet had allowed them to protect Caia and Jax from Nar and his insidious ways of using the Dark Side to attack their growing children, but still…those months…

She looked at her husband, and without even reaching out with the Force, she sensed all the emotions churning in him. Han and Caia had always been extraordinarily close, in part, Leia suspected, because of those two months, when Han had desperately searched the galaxy for his abducted diplomat wife. He'd refused to leave Caia behind, despite everyone insisting he do so, and instead loaded Jep and the baby onto the Falcon. He spent every moment he wasn't actively searching for Leia with the infant, holding her, talking to her, playing holos of Leia so that when they found her – and he insisted they would – their infant would remember her mother's voice, and providing their newborn child with the care and protection Leia could not.

Leia had fallen in love with him all over again when Jep told her about Han's actions over those two months and baby Caia, well, she was clearly as smitten with her father as he was with her. The relationship between father and daughter only deepened over the years. And when Caia was badly tempted by the Dark Side after a failed Jedi mission to Moraband when she was 18, and Leia was frantic with her own inability to save her daughter, it had been Han who pulled their child back, just by sheer refusal to let go of her, literally or figuratively. When the Dark Side spectres of Moraband left Caia crying in physical or emotional pain, it was Han who – even though he couldn't really understand what was happening – held her until she could chase the pain away, and told her how much she was loved, ahd how she needed to fight for the light, until she finally overcame the temptation by the Dark Side that every Skywalker seemed doomed to face at some point.

Seeing that her husband was still trying to wrap his head around the fact of his little girl having a child of her own, Leia sat down next to Han and embraced him. He sunk into her arms, not entirely sure what he was feeling.

"We have some very lucky children," Leia said softly. "Because you're their dad."

Han shook his head. "No. I'm just a guy who had the brains to want to live up to my wife's example."

He leaned over and kissed her, his lips soft against hers, his hand gently caressing her cheek.

"Hey, are we having breakfast out here? You know, Risarva, gifts, big eats?" came Jaina's voice from the hall.

Han broke the kiss with his wife. "Grandparents, huh?" he asked, shaking his head, before calling out to Jaina, "Are any of you ever learning how to cook?"

"No," came the response of three young voices.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The family's Risarva celebration was more subdued than usual. They moved the traditional dinner to lunchtime and passed on the usual family hike through the Meti foothills in the hopes that they'd hear from Caia sooner rather than later. Every so often, Han would make some noise about using the longtrans comm to see if he could get a hold of Dak or ask one of his Force-adept children if they could sense anything from Caia, and someone would have to talk him down.

Six hours passed, and still nothing.

"This sucks," sighed Jaina as she leaned against her father's shoulder and focused on the smashball match on the holo.

"Sure does, Littlest Princess," said Han as he planted a kiss on his youngest's head. "Everybody has some idea of what's going on except us."

"I was talking about the game. It's going to double overtime," Jaina looked up at her father, her exasperation with him so clear and so identical to looks Leia was sure she had given Han over the years that Leia had to bite her lip to stifle a laugh. She didn't want to laugh at her husband now; the poor man was tied up in emotional knots.

"I think we have achieved baby," Bail said, his eyes never leaving the holo. "Hey, Jax, you big nerf, gimme the cracklesnaps, you're eating them all."

Leia concentrated on Caia, feeling only her exhaustion. But she'd learned not to question Bail about these things over the years. Ever since he was a tiny infant, Bail had been different than the other Solo children – more focused, more circumspect. While the others jumped at any kind of reckless adventure, often to their detriment (including that ill-conceived slide from the roof that Jax had conceived when he was twelve), Bail preferred to think, and to think hard. Han always said that Bail was just how Leia would have turned out if the galaxy had given her the opportunity.

Leia wasn't entirely sure that was true, as Bail's strength in the Force put hers to shame and Bail hated the idea of killing anyone, no matter how much they might deserve it. Leia had to admit she was thoroughly proud of taking out some of the more evil characters she'd run into over the years. Bail had instead insisted upon putting his powers toward healing. He'd grudgingly gone through all the training Han and Leia had required of all the children so that they could adequately protect themselves from the Dark Side. He could wield both a blaster and a light saber as well as his siblings and channel the Force better than anyone other than Luke, but when it came to going to the Academy and becoming a fully-trained Jedi, which Luke desperately wanted him to do, Bail – at a very early age - had put his foot down, and Han and Leia had supported him. It had been one of the biggest arguments that Han, Leia, and Luke had ever had. After a lot of difficulty, Luke had finally come around to Leia's position – that being a Force-adept trained in the Jedi tradition could not mean that a person had to travel the road of a Jedi and accept the duties of a Jedi. Han had just argued that neither his – nor anyone else's children should be anything unless they desired it. Caia had jumped at the opportunity to become a fully-trained Jedi with all the over-achieving nature of a firstborn and had set out for the Academy on the day after she reached majority. Jax, studying history at the Corellian University, was still on the fence about whether he'd attend the Academy after he completed his studies.

Bail had turned sixteen, finished his parentally-mandated studies in control of the Force, and simply refused to go further. He did not want to use the Force for killing, no matter how just the cause. It wasn't in his nature. He would use his talent in the Force to be a healer and a medic. So off he had gone to Florsias for more training in the sciences. He was in his second year of study and, unlike Jax and Caia, he'd yet faced his temptation by the Dark Side. His parents knew it was coming, though. They both assumed that once he started treating patients, the Dark Side would find its way in and his struggle would be to acknowledge that his powers – as strong as they may be—were limited. The Dark Side would tempt him towards greater power to save lives, but at the price of his compassion. Leia knew this temptation all too well. It was the same temptation she had faced at the hands of Essag.

Finally, the longtrans comm beeped. Han was up and answering it before anyone else could even move.

"Mom, you ever consider that Dad has Jedi reflexes when he wants to?"

"He'd tell you they're Corellian reflexes," Leia murmured as the family joined Han at the comm.

"Little Princess?" said Han as he commed on.

Dak's beaming face filled the holocomm. "It's me, Han. They gave Caia a med to make her sleep for a while after the birth. It was a long labor—"

"Is she okay?" Han pressed. After Jaina's birth, Leia had certainly NOT been okay.

"She's fine. Just exhausted."

"The baby?"

"It's a boy!"

Han grinned as he turned to Jaina. "About time we found out, huh?"

When Han turned back to the holo, happy tears had welled up in Dak's eyes. "He's beautiful. He's perfect. He's…"

Han recognized exactly how the younger man felt. He'd felt that way each time one of his newborn children had been place in his arms.

"A miracle," Han finished for his choked-up son in law. Maybe this kid wasn't so bad after all.

Dak nodded as Leia squeezed Han's shoulder and leaned into the viewer. "Dak, I know my husband is itching to ask – when can we come?"

"Now!" Dak said. "Please, come now. We only wanted you to stay home in case something went wrong. You've been through too much, and if you were here – Caia didn't want you to have to live that in real time too."

Leia chuckled softly. She understood her daughter's reasoning, but now that Caia could hold her own son in her arms, Caia would understand why Leia and Han would choose to be there even if – especially if – things went wrong. No fear of grief or pain, would keep a parent away from their child. At least not in the Solo family.

"Oh, but…" Dak said, embarrassed, "Umm…just so you know, we're not inviting my parents yet. My mom can be a little…much…so I want to give Caia some breathing room."

"Got it. We'll be there in twelve parts," Han said, wanting to get on the Falcon and get moving.

"Perfect," Dake replied, as the sound of a baby starting to cry could be heard over the holo. "Gotta go."

"Yeah, so do we," said Han. "Tell Little Princess we love her. And son…congratulations. You have no idea yet, but this is going to be the best adventure of your life."

"Thanks, Dad," Dak said as he commed off.

"Ready to go?" Han turned to his family, all of whom were looking at him with a mix of bemusement and mischief.

"Son?" Jax said.

"Dad?" Jaina added.

Leia knew that none of their kids would miss the opportunity to comment on that exchange. They wouldn't be Solos if they didn't. She was just happy that the shared experience of fatherhood had started to thaw the awkward relationship between protective father and son-in-law.

"Cut it out, ya monsters," Han nearly blushed at his own sudden sentimentality as he took Leia's hand to lead her toward the speeder outside that would bring them to the Falcon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Han raced into the medicenter's post-delivery unit with Leia close on his heels. As the hours of the trip to Naboo had stretched on, Leia had watched her husband becoming more and more anxious to get to his daughter and grandson's side. It was a good thing Chewie had gone home to Kashyyyk to spend a few weeks with his own family, or Han may have found himself with a gundark tranquilizer in his caf.

"Caia Solo," Han said to the droid at reception.

"Caia Solo Jarrid," Leia corrected. While Leia had taken Han's name almost immediately after their marriage, both to give herself some identity after a war in which all her previous identities had been taken away and to fire a warning shot toward the Alderaanian remnant (who nonetheless managed to cause her plenty of trouble about her marriage anyway), Caia had hung onto her family name. She'd reluctantly tagged on Dak's name only for convenience once the baby was on his way.

"Bay Fourteen," the droid replied. "She's about to be released."

Han and Leia hurried on as their children straggled in, having passed out, after an hours-long djarik tournament, in the bunk room Han built many years ago to accommodate the big family on long voyages. Only Jaina, who alternated with Leia as Han's co-pilot on these trips, seemed marginally awake.

Han peered through the window to Bay Fourteen and was met with a sight that made him smile wistfully. Caia was holding her son while both she and Dak looked down at the baby in gentle amazement. Han remembered those moments so well, when he and Leia looked down in wonderment at the new little humans they'd created. Now Caia and Dak had joined that tribe of awed, slightly intimidated, and completely unprepared people. Their little girl was a mother…

He reached for Leia's hand and entered the room. The reverie broken, Caia and Dak looked up from their son; Caia's smile lit up the room when she saw her parents.

"Dad, look at him! Isn't he perfect?" Caia said as Han enveloped her in an embrace, treading gently so as not to alarm the contented baby in her arms. Many years of experience with Leia and their own babies had taught him that maneuver.

Han leaned over and kissed his grandson softly. "He's beautiful, Little Princess."

Leia hugged Dak, then exchanged places with Han, embracing her daughter as Han reached out to his son-in-law. A knowing look crossed between mother and daughter as they saw the two men hug, with Han giving Dak a few congratulatory claps on the shoulder.

"I told you your father would come around," Leia whispered to Caia. "All it took was nine months of pregnancy and twenty hours of labor."

Caia laughed as Leia took a good look at her grandson. He was a beautiful baby, his skin a healthy pink and his little flower bud of a mouth pursing in his sleep. He waved a tiny hand and his mother gave him her pinky to cling to.

"You can tell he's Force-sensitive, right?" Caia asked.

Leia nodded. Yes, the baby was certainly Force-sensitive. Unlike Luke, who thought it wonderful whenever a Skywalker descendant was born Force-sensitive, Leia and Han felt that it was both a blessing and a curse.

"I was kind of hoping it was just a mother-child connection," Caia admitted. "And not the Force."

Leia's heart went out to her daughter. She knew exactly what Caia meant. Her own heart had leapt with joy when, pregnant with Jaina, she had realized that the baby she was carrying was not sensitive to the Force.

"He's perfect and he's healthy, and so are you, honey," Leia reminded Caia. "Everything else is for another day."

"I'm scared, Mom," Caia whispered.

"I'd be worried if you weren't," Leia replied, stroking her daughter's brown hair.

As Caia considered her mother's words, her rambunctious siblings made their inevitably noisy entrance into the ward. Bail had perked up, as he always did, at being around medics and healers. He walked straight over to Caia's bedside and inspected his nephew.

"Hey, Cai, he's not too wrinkled. Good pushing!"

"That's a bizarre way of saying congratulations, you know," she scowled.

"Oh, yeah, congrats, sis," Bail said as he surreptitiously picked up the datapad next to her bed that held the records of the labor and birth. Leia shook her head and removed the datapad from his hands. She knew he was obsessed with healing, but he really didn't need to read about how quickly his sister's cervix dilated.

Jaina and Jax then took their turns with the baby. Jaina declared him to be an acceptable addition to the Solo family while Jax, who by virtue of age and the trials of their early childhood was closest to Caia, acknowledged that the baby was almost as good looking as he was. Perfectly Solo responses, Leia thought as she looked at her family with exasperated affection. They would expect no less from each other than vaguely competitive banter.

"Dad, do you want to hold your grandson?" Caia held the baby out to Han, quickly giving a tiny nod to Dak. Leia was fairly sure she knew what was coming, but she was also certain that Han had no idea. So she shifted her position to get a better look at her husband. She wanted to remember his face at this moment.

"Sure!" said Han eagerly, leaning over Caia's bed. "Come here, little guy."

"Well, Dad, this is your grandson," Caia said as she handed the small bundle to her father. "Han Jarrid."

Han, the baby nestled in his practiced arms, froze mid-move. He looked from his smiling daughter to his son-in-law and then down at the baby. Leia saw his neck muscles working as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. For her part, Leia hadn't even tried. She knew her own eyes were brimming over with tears, both because of what Caia and Dak's choice of their firstborn's name said to her and because even now, after so many years of knowing how much he was loved by his family, a little part of her husband would always be that orphaned boy who became quickly overwhelmed whenever anyone showed him that love so freely.

Han looked down at the baby in his arms, his grandson and his namesake. He was still trying to get a handle on all the emotions that had been flooding him for the past few days, but this moment put him over the top. His oldest thought enough of the job than he and Leia had done raising her to name her firstborn after him. He thought of all those years he and Leia had made it up as they went along, given that neither of them had a childhood anything like the one they had resolved to give their children, of all the time he spent wondering if he was being the father his Force-sensitive kids needed, given that he would never really be able to understand some of what they were going through. He'd relied on Leia a lot with that, just as she'd relied on him to have a bit of a better grasp on what was "normal" child behavior, since her own life had been so limned by duty from birth. Eventually, he'd decided that, with regard to his family and the Force, there was really only one thing he knew he could do: show up and love them, even when things didn't make a lot of sense. It was that simple. It was that difficult. And, apparently, he'd somehow done it right. As he felt the eyes of his wife, four children, son-in-law, and grandson upon him, he half laughed, half-choked back a sob as he realized how profoundly… _relieved…_ he was. Relieved at the confirmation that he and Leia had done this ridiculously hard, painful, fun job right. Relieved that every time outsiders threatened to tear his family or his relationship with Leia apart, their dogged refusal to give up had made the Solo family unbreakable. Mostly, relieved that the risk they knew they were taking every time they had a child, and everything they'd given up to confront that risk and give their children an overabundance of love and security to see them through the perils of Force-sensitivity, had been worth it. In this, Han knew Leia's sacrifices had been far greater than his, and he was determined to make it up to her.

He looked at his wife and smiled through teary eyes. She, if no one else in the room, knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Do you think we would have named him anything else, Dad?" Caia said softly. "After everything you and Mom went through for us and with us – especially with me. I understand what that means more than ever now that I'm holding our son. If we had a girl, she was going to be Leia. If we had a boy, he was going to be Han."

She slipped out of the hospital cot as she saw a tear roll down her father's cheek, although he quickly tried to brush it away. Gathering both of her parents in a hug, she whispered, "I love you both so much."

"We love you too, Little Princess. We love all of you more than you can imagine," Han said quietly.

"Um…since we never even considered any other names…" Dak began, "don't tell my folks, ok?"

Leia laughed as she wiped her eyes. "Your secret's safe."

"But," said Jax as he joined the family embrace by putting an arm around his tiny mother, "Mom is going to have to wait for her namesake until me or Bail have a daughter, because having siblings named Han and Leia would just be weird, Cai."

"Agreed," she smiled as Bail and Jaina, rolling their teenage eyes, joined the family hug after Caia gave them the sharp look that she had inherited from her mother.

"My daughter could be a Leia, too," Jaina reminded them.

"Littlest Princess, you are not going to be a mother for a very, very long time," Han said. "I can't handle both my girls being completely grown up."

Jaina sighed. She'd hoped that with the new arrival, she could shed her status as baby of the family, but no luck there. On the plus side, she still had everyone but Bail wrapped around her finger.

Han noticed Dak standing a step or two away from the Solo family embrace. He reached out his free hand to his son-in-law. Dak eagerly accepted being dragged into the circle of Solos.

"It's not a family moment without the whole family," Han said has he transferred his grandson into his son-in-law's arms. "This little guy is going to be the best thing that ever happened to you, son. Enjoy it."

"Oh, man, Dad's choking up again," Bail groaned. "Dad, you're getting to be a sap in your old age."

"Maybe," Han allowed. "Maybe because I know how incredibly lucky I am." He caught Leia's eye. "And to think this all started out in a trash compactor…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Solo family decided to stay on the Falcon instead of overwhelming the Jarrids' tiny one-bedroom unit in Naboo's administrative housing. As Leia stood before the small mirror in the master cabin, unbraiding her hair, she heard the kids being their usual rambunctious selves out in the hold. They'd disappeared into the social district for a few hours during the afternoon as Han and Leia helped Caia and Dak settle into life at home with a baby. Apparently, the Gungan fire jugglers in the tourist traps of Naboo had impressed the kids so much that four blaster cubes – hopefully deactivated – were currently whizzing all over the hold as the three tried to replicate the Gungans' dangerous tricks.

"Caia and Dak are going to need a bigger unit," Han observed as he entered their quarters, shutting the door just before Jaina yelled, "No using the Force! That's cheating!" and a blaster cube crashed onto the djarik table. "And I'm gonna need a new ship if they don't get bored with juggling dangerous objects soon."

Leia smiled as her husband walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she finished loosening her hair.

"Princess," he said softly. "We done good."

As it had for nearly thirty years, his gravelly whisper sent butterflies through her stomach. She turned to him and clasped her arms around his neck.

"Guess we did," she answered, looking for the right words. "I'm so…relieved."

Han laughed aloud. "That's exactly what I was thinking today. You do everything you think is right, and then you just hope…"

They fell silent for a moment, both thinking the same thing. Luke and Tiy were having an incredible amount of trouble with their oldest at the moment, despite being wonderful parents in their own right. At least Ben Skywalker, unlike his two younger siblings, was not Force-sensitive.

"I love you, sweetheart," Han said. "And I love the life we've built. But I'm not blind about what you've given up for this family. I've gained and the children have gained because of it, but I know how much you've sacrificed. If it weren't for us, you'd be Queen of the damn galaxy by now."

She kissed her husband's chest, warm under one of the torn old undershirts he insisted on wearing to bed when the kids were around and he had to wear anything at all.

"I regret nothing," she said simply.

"Still. When Jaina hits her majority in a few months, the family spotlight should turn to you. So think about it. You're still a young woman…whatever you want your next act to be, I'll be right there behind you."

"Thank you, honey. Queen of the damn galaxy does have a nice ring," she smiled. Leia wasn't actually sure she wanted to change anything. She enjoyed her role as intermediary between the Jedi and the Republic, and she was good at it. Still, Han's words still meant the universe to her. She pulled him closer, running a finger along his stomach. "Or are you just trying to get lucky?"

"Can't it be both?"

She laughed as he pulled her down to the bed while simultaneously hitting the remote to lock the door to the captain's quarters.

"Ugh, gross," muttered Jax, hearing the lock on the door snap shut as he walked by. "Uh, you two realize that you're GRANDPARENTS, right?"

Han shook his head. "They really do think they were miraculously conceived, don't they?"

"They just prefer to think we grudgingly had sex four times, and only four times, out of biological necessity."

"Well, Princess," Han said, taking her face in his hands, "I'm very glad its way closer to four thousand than four."

"Me too, Han," Leia sighed as his lips found hers. "Me too."

 **So...I realize this story is almost DEFIANTLY SAPPY, which is intentional. It's supposed to be the total AU to TFA. So there! :)**

 **And, while I'm at it, an advertisement/beg: I've started to post a non-fan fic story over on the sister site here (fictionpress-dot-com). It's called "Fifteen Minutes" - It's a dark comedy about an actor playing Hamlet for a reality tv show. So...no, nothing to do with Star Wars or sci fi or fantasy, although I do have a fantasy story brewing that I'll probably start to work on over at fictionpress soon as well. But, anyway, if you're interested in reading more of my writing, I'm also known as kelleher over there and would really love some feedback. Thanks, and thanks so much for reading.**


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